Elizabeth Mosima
3 July 2009
Bike riders in Yaounde are busy going about their business despite rumour about strike.
The recent rumours of an imminent strike by motorcycle riders in Yaounde last Wednesday has been ignored. The strike was meant to protest against the deadline given to bike riders to procure all the necessary documents or face the law. In nearly all the major road junctions where the bike riders are usually found it was business as usual. The President of the Motorcycle Riders Association in the Ekounou sector, Laurent Ibeng à Ebong, said there was no strike in the area last Wednesday. He explained that on the eve of the deadline for the deposit of documents, an individual came to the Ekounou sector and identified himself as a member of a syndicate which they did not know. He said the man distributed tracts which called on motorcycle riders to go on strike the following day. "We do not know who he was and to which syndicate he belongs so we did not go on strike. If we have to strike we have to prepare for it and know why we are going on strike," he said.
However, in some, motorbike riders packed their bikes at home and went to the junctions to watch what was going to happen. Some only had the courage to work in the evening. According to Laurent, a few motorcycle riders in the Ekounou sector had no courage to work on that day because they were afraid that their bikes would be destroyed by the strikers. "We did not work not because we were striking but because we were afraid," said Pierre another bike rider. According to Laurent, he is working hard to encourage the bike riders to compile their documents because it is for the good of all. He said already 80 riders in the area have registered for the driving licence. His wish is that government should extend the deadline to about three months to enable them get the necessary documents. "We have families and we don't earn much. It is not easy for us," he said. The story is similar to bike riders in Ayene near Ekounou. The monitor of the Ekounou III sector, Etienne Akoa, said they were aware of the call for a strike but they did not receive any instructions from the president of the syndicate. He however said the deadline given by the government is short.
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